Montefilia passed her Melbourne Cup audition with flying colours after running an eye-catching fourth in Saturday's Caulfield Cup.
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The five-year-old Kermadec mare, part-owned by Woonona's Hugh Docherty, is now a leading Australian hope at $11 with Bet365 for the great two-mile race, behind star international raider Deauville Legend ($3.40).
Chris Waller's Durston took out the Caulfield Cup, beating the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Gold Trip and Knights Order, from the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable.
But Montefilia put her rivals on notice.
Jason Collett settled near-last and three-wide and was tangled up with Tralee Rose in the ruck off the turn, before finding clear air and surging late.
"Jason jumped off and said she should have won," Docherty told the Mercury from Melbourne.
"It's a great run, she got a lot further back than we would have liked and they just went too slow.
"When she found the gap we saw how good she was.
"With a better gate for the Melbourne Cup, then who knows?"
Winning jockey Michael Dee was suspended for 12 meetings for shifting out on Durstan, which caused Tralee Rose into Montefilia's path.
Dee then switched to the outside to swamp Gold Trip late, as Montefilia closed to a length. Montefilia will carry 55.5 kilograms in the Melbourne Cup on November 1.
After also finishing fourth in last year's Caulfield Cup, trainer David Payne and the ownership elected to wait 12 months for a Melbourne Cup shot as a more mature mare.
She beat last year's champion Verry Elleegant in the 2000m Ranvet Stakes in March and was fourth over a mile behind Anamoe in the George Main first-up.
Golden ticket
Kerry Parker is eyeing a shot at the $8 million Golden Eagle with Hope In Your Heart after winning a second Group 3, this time in the Angst Stakes at Randwick.
Held back a week after the atrocious weather forced the race to be postponed, Parker's moment in the sun came when Hope In Your Heart held off fast-finishing Honeycreeper.
It came on a day where 27-year-old trainer Clayton Douglas stunned the racing world when Giga Kick upstaged Nature Strip in the $15 million The Everest.
Parker is excited at the prospect of following the path of Robert and Luke Price's Count De Rupee, who finished second in last year's Golden Eagle, then won the $1 million The Gong.
"She's come a long way from last prep where we pushed her along in those three-year-old races and no doubt it's helped her to come on and be a mature mare now," Parker said.
"She's still a little bit silly here (sweating up) before the race, but it had been a month between runs.
"I'd love to think, you're a four-year-old once, that we could get to the Golden Eagle, that was always the plan to go three weeks, now it's two weeks to come back 100m, but she's silly enough and so am I."
Illawarra Sports Awards
The Mercury, in partnership with the Illawarra Academy Of Sport and presenting sponsor Illawarra Credit Union, is hosting the Illawarra Sports Awards, to be held on Thursday, November 10 at the Fraternity Club.
TICKETS: Purchase individual tickets or tables at https://events.humanitix.com/illawarra-sports-awards
NOMINATE: Get your nominations in for the Team Of The Year, Coach Of The Year and Local Hero Volunteer Of The Year
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Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
